Hibiscus plant named ‘My Valentine’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of hardy herbaceous  Hibiscus  hybrid plant named ‘My Valentine’ is winter-hardy with naturally short, mounded habit with dense heavy branching. The foliage is fine textured tri-lobed and of dark green with purple tinting and veining. The flowers are large and numerous with red-velvet overlapping, slightly-recurved petals over a long blooming period.

Botanical classification: Hibiscus hybrid (L.)

Variety denomination: ‘My Valentine’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hardy, herbaceous, hibiscus plant, Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ hybridized by Kevin A. Hurd in the summer of 2007 at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant, originally labeled #07-57-07, is from a cross between the proprietary hybrid #04-17-13 (not patented) (female pod parent) times the proprietary hybrid #05-255-08 (not patented) (male pollen parent). Both parents have a complex mixture of species in them, most likely including the species: moscheutos, coccineus and laevis. Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ was first asexually propagated in 2009 by both stem cuttings and sterile tissue culture at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultant plants have been found to be stable and true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ differs from its parents as well as all other hardy hibiscus known to the applicant in many traits. The foliage color of ‘My Valentine’ is a dark green with burgundy tinting and veining. The foliage shape of ‘My Valentine’ is heterophyllous, depending on the time of year and position on the stem and rate of growth. Upper leaves on rapidly growing stems may be nearly lanceolate to ovate with rounded base and narrowly acute apex. Lower leaves on more mature plants may be palmately tri-lobed to five-lobed. The flower of ‘My Valentine’ is comprised of slightly-recurved red-velvet petals with columns of complimenting light yellow pollen.

The cultivars most similar to Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ are Hibiscus ‘Fireball’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,631, Hibiscus ‘Lord Baltimore’ (not patented), Hibiscus ‘Robert Fleming’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,776 and Hibiscus ‘Sultry Kiss’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,300. The new plant is taller than ‘Robert Fleming’, with lighter red flower and foliage that is flatter, less rugose and darker green. Compared to ‘Fireball’, ‘My Valentine’ has more compact shorter habit with less sprawling and angled stems, the foliage is less cleft or dissected, not as wide and the flower of ‘Fireball’ has a more blue tint and less bright red. ‘My Valentine’ is shorter and more branched than ‘Lord Baltimore’ and has more fertile flowers with petals that overlap more. Compared to ‘Sultry Kiss’ the new plant has darker red flowers and darker leaves.

In comparison to the parents, ‘My Valentine’ is shorter, more compact in habit and with slightly smaller thicker-substance flowers than #04-17-13. In comparison to #05-255-08 the new plant has a deeper red flower, longer bloom time and more dissected foliage.

Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’ is a unique hardy herbaceous hibiscus with the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Winter-hardy, naturally short, mounded habit with dense heavy         branching.     -   2. Many flowers with red-velvet, overlapping, slightly-recurved         petals.     -   3. Fine textured foliage of dark green with purple tinting and         veining.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photograph of the new plant demonstrates the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color. The plant in the photograph is a two-year old plant growing in a full-sun field loamy-sand soil environment with supplemental water and fertilizer as required.

FIG. 1 shows the new plant in full flower with variable foliage shapes, flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus ‘My Valentine’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of two-year old plants in the loamy-sand open field trials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed. The plants are natural habit and were not treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any time in the growth year.

-   Parentage: Proprietary hybrid # 04-17-13 (not patented) (female pod     parent) times the proprietary hybrid # 05-255-08 (not patented)     (male pollen parent). -   Propagation:     -   -   Method.—Stem cuttings and sterile plant tissue culture             division.         -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture.—About two weeks.         -   Rooting habit.—Normal, branching, developing thick to about             4 cm diameter, fleshy; root color creamy white between RHS             159A and lighter than RHS 159 D depending on soil type.         -   Crop time.—Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16             weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.             Plant vigor is very good. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant shape and habit.—Winter-hardy, multi-stemmed,             herbaceous perennial with 10 to 18 thick upright and heavily             branched main stems producing a rounded mound; 9 to 12             primary branches per main stem protruding at 45° to 75°             angle from horizontal, secondary branches on the lower two             thirds to one half of the primary branches; primary branch             size: between 8.0 cm and 40.0 cm long (shorter at the upper             nodes) and 0.4 cm to 1.0 cm diameter at the base of branch;             secondary branches to 4.5 cm long and 3.0 mm wide at base.         -   Plant size.—Unpinched plant with stems 90 to 120 cm tall,             average about 115 cm tall from soil line, and diameter at             base average about 2.8 cm; overall plant 80 to 95 cm wide             about 30 cm above the base (widest point), average about 88             cm.         -   Internode length.—Unpinched plant varied between 2.0 to 5.0             cm, average about 4.0 cm.         -   Foliage description.—Alternate; dentate; glabrous;             heterophyllous; base equilateral, rounded base, acute apex;             palmatifid, mostly deeply and sharply cleft tri-lobed with             openings than 45 degrees; some immature leaves oblong ovate             with ovate bases and acute apexes, texture dull above and             below with younger developing leaves lustrous; palmately             veined; leaf size 11.0 cm to 15.0 cm long and 9.0 to 11.0 cm             wide, becoming smaller in distal portion of stem.         -   Foliage color.—Adaxial side between RHS 139A and RHS 139B             with greyed-purple tinting of between RHS N187A and RHS             N186C; abaxial side between RHS 139C and RHS 139D.         -   Veins.—Reticulate; primary adaxial veins variable in color;             lower leaves with mostly between RHS 144B and RHS 144C with             some tinting in the center of the leaves becoming purplish             nearest RHS 185B in the lower center main vein while veins             in the upper leaves with deeper purple nearest RHS 187D and             fewer green veins of nearest RHS 144B; main abaxial veins of             lower leaves RHS 187C with secondary veins nearest RHS 144B,             main abaxial veins upper leaves between RHS 187C and RHS             187B, secondary veins between RHS 144C and RHS 143C.         -   Petioles.—Average size 5.0 cm long and 3.0 mm wide; mostly             cylindrical with proximal petioles more plano-convex; color             above nearest to RHS 185C or in more light nearest RHS 185A,             below between RHS 185D and RHS 185C; last distal centimeter             before leaf blade between RHS 138A and RHS 144A. -   Flower description:     -   -   Buds.—One day prior to opening about 7.0 cm long and 3.0 cm             in diameter, acute apex and bluntly rounded base, unopened             petals wrinkled at veins, exposed petal color nearest RHS             187B; prior to showing petals buds are about 3.3 cm long and             2.5 cm in diameter, ovoid with acute apex, carinate at the             fusion seam of the sepals; color between RHS 138A and RHS             138B with tinting and sepal carina between RHS N186C and RHS             183A.         -   Epicalyx.—Entire, smooth, glabrous, linear with sharply             acute apex, curved around sepals; 10 to 12 per flower; 2.6             cm long tapering to base of 3.0 mm wide; adaxial color RHS             144A, abaxial color RHS 144C, with occasional tinting of             apex nearest RHS N186C.         -   Sepals.—5, glabrous, proximal half connate forming             campanulate star-shaped calyx; acute apex; margin entire,             edentate; about 4.0 cm long and 2.5 cm wide; abaxial color             nearest RHS 144A and adaxial color between RHS 144C and RHS             143D; five primary sepal veins nearly same color as sepal,             between RHS 144C and RHS 144D on inside and nearest RHS 144A             on outside.         -   Flowers.—Solitary, 15 to 18 per main stem without pinching;             petals slightly recurved producing a flat face with concaved             center eye; upward and outwardly facing to display whole             face; average 21.0 cm across and 8.5 cm deep, larger in             early part of flowering season; persist for one to two days;             effective for at least 12 weeks beginning mid-July and             lasting into October; no detectable fragrance.         -   Petals.—Five; glabrous, dull in the outer two thirds and             shiny in the inner one third, adnate to the androecium,             imbricate to about 100% overlapping at widest part (petals             completely overlapping to the edge of the next petal in the             position two over); shape rounded; margins entire; apex             rounded; base short claw-like; veins slightly impressed,             surface otherwise flat, without intense ruffles; about 12.0             cm long and 12.0 cm wide at widest portion (larger in             earlier part of flowering season and smaller later in             flowering season).         -   Petal color.—Adaxial surface between RHS 46B and RHS 53B on             distal three quarters; shiny and nearest RHS 53A at base one             quarter lightening to between RHS 45C and RHS 46C just             before column attachment; abaxial surface between RHS 59B             and RHS 60A except for the basal 2.0 cm which is between RHS             53C and RHS 53B.         -   Petal veins.—Diadromous; about 18 to 20 veins; slightly             impressed on adaxial surface and heavily ribbed on the             abaxial surface.         -   Petal vein color.—Adaxial surface center nearest RHS 53B and             blending with petal color distally and petal eye proximally;             abaxial shiny and between RHS 46A and RHS 46B.         -   Gynoecium.—Pistil: mostly enclosed in column that is about             6.5 cm long and 1.0 cm wide at base; Column color: striated             length-wise at the basal 2.0 cm with darkest portions             nearest RHS 63A extending up the column from center of             petals and lightest portion nearest RHS 56D extending up the             column from edge of petals; distal 4.5 cm of column nearest             RHS 61C; Style: distal 1.0 cm portion of style split into             five branches and protrudes from column, branch diameter 2.0             mm, branch color nearest RHS 59C; Stigma: five; globose,             puberulose, about 3 mm in diameter, nearest RHS 59A; Ovary:             nearest RHS 145C.         -   Androecium.—Filaments: numerous, about 120; about 6.0 mm             long and 0.5 mm in diameter; attached to nearly the entire             length of column; nearest RHS 53C; Anthers: reniform;             dorsifixed; longitudinal; about 2 mm long and 1 mm wide;             between RHS 53C and RHS 53D; Pollen: numerous, globose, less             than 0.1 mm long, between RHS 19D and RHS 158D. -   Pedicel: From base of sepal to abscission point average 1.5 cm long     and 4 mm wide on early flowers decreasing in distal flowers; color     nearest RHS 184C with high light exposure and nearest RHS 138B with     more shading. -   Peduncle: Flowers are easily visible, held out on average 5.5 cm     long from abscission point to stem and 4 mm wide on early flowers     shortening to about 5.0 cm distally on stem; distal 1.0 cm nearest     RHS 138B and lower color between RHS 183B and RHS 184C with light     exposure and nearest 138B with more shading and at base nearest     stem. -   Fruit: Loculicidal capsule; glabrous; globose, occasionally with     abruptly acute apex; RHS N199B when mature. -   Seed: Spherical, minutely floccose, globose to slightly reniform; 3     to 4 mm in diameter; RHS 200A. -   Disease resistance: Resistance beyond that of other hardy hibiscus     cultivars has not been observed. The plant grows best with plenty of     moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate some drought     when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4 through 9, and     other disease resistance is typical of that of other hibiscus     cultivars. 

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘My Valentine’ as herein illustrated and described and photographed, comprising winter-hardy, naturally short, mounded habit with dense heavy branching; with fine textured tri-lobed foliage of dark green with purple tinting and veining and many red-velvet flowers having overlapping, slightly-recurved petals over a long blooming period; suitable for potted plant culture and landscaping as a specimen, small group or en masse. 